Dean of admissions letter to UNL community

Alan Cerveny, dean of admissions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sent the following e-mail message to the UNL community Sept. 15 after NU's Central Administration released fall enrollment figures for the system's four campuses.

"Dear Colleagues:

"In today's competitive college student recruiting market, success depends upon the active involvement and support of the entire campus community. On behalf of the Office of Admissions, I would like to thank our faculty and staff on both campuses and in Cooperative Extension for joining us in this critical effort this past year.

"New Student Enrollment Update. The good news is that in ever-increasing numbers, we are attracting the very best students from Nebraska and across the nation. For the third straight year, UNL has enrolled its most talented freshman class in our school's history based on test scores and class rank. The average ACT score jumped this year from 24.4 to 24.8, our largest one-year increase since our current admission standards went into effect in 1997. This year's class is also our most diverse ever as a result of another increase in our students of color numbers. Nine percent of this year's freshman class were American multicultural students compared to 5 percent in 2002. We also enrolled 65 new National Merit Scholars this semester, up from 51 in 2003. This year's increase will rank UNL either first or second in the nation in per capita enrollment of new National Merit Scholars.

"While we are pleased with the academic quality and diversity of our new student class, our new student enrollment is down 6 percent and overall enrollment is down 4 percent from a year ago based on final numbers released today from Central Administration. The new student enrollment drop this year was most noticeable in two target populations. One of our decreases was in the number of new international students. Increased security due to the Patriot Act resulted in new student visa restrictions that directly impacted our fall numbers. The second -- and most significant -- drop was in the number of in-state students with ACT scores ranging from 20 to 24. The evidence indicates that more Nebraskans are enrolling at community colleges after high school in an effort to save money. With a shrinking pool of Nebraska high school graduates projected over the next decade, we cannot afford to allow public misperceptions to go unchallenged about our cost of education or the value of a 4-year residential learning experience. We will continue to spread the word that UNL is affordable for all Nebraska families and ranked as one of the best values in higher education by Consumers Digest and Kiplinger.

"We have an action plan in place to aggressively confront these enrollment challenges. A new informational brochure is being prepared to directly address questions and concerns about our cost of education with prospective students and their families. Every faculty and staff member will receive a copy of this brochure when it becomes available early next month. Extensive efforts are also underway to offset projected in-state enrollment declines by increasing our out-of-state enrollment. We are expanding our recruitment activities in South Dakota and Iowa while continuing efforts to nurture and develop new markets in Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Denver, Dallas, and St. Louis. Last fall, the Office of Admissions brought 24 high school counselors from the northern Chicago suburbs to campus for a weekend visit. We are already seeing an increase in new prospects from Chicago as a direct result of this campus visit. Similar visits are planned this fall for high school counselors from Kansas City and Minneapolis. We have also restructured our international admissions program this year and have taken steps this past summer to attract more Malaysian and Japanese students to campus in years to come.

"While challenges exist, we need to keep in mind that we are facing them from a position of unparalleled strength. As a UNL alum, I truly believe the University has never had more exciting opportunities to offer prospective students than it does today. I am confident we will successfully meet our future enrollment goals if we all work together to recruit students. As the University begins a new recruiting cycle, we need your support more than ever. Campus visits play a critical role in a prospective student's college choice. Students and their parents form lasting impressions of UNL based on their visit experiences. You can become a difference-maker with visiting students in small ways (e.g. a simple smile or a friendly "hello") or in big ways by offering your assistance when called on by your Dean or the Office of Admissions. You can also help spread the word about UNL's affordability and value using the information we will provide.

"Even though we currently have over 50,000 active prospects in our database, I suspect there are some talented students who are not on our recruiting lists. So another way you can help the University with recruitment is by sharing the names of possible prospects (particularly your own children, grandchildren, family friends, or relatives) with the Office of Admissions. Please e-mail me the student's name, year in school, and mailing address.

"Once again, thank you for your continuing support of the University's undergraduate recruiting program. Working together, I believe we will achieve great things in 2005.

-- Alan L. Cerveny, Dean of Admissions"

CONTACT: Alan Cerveny, Dean, Admissions, (402) 472-9531